HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior •
217
Figure 13.3 Knowledge of HIV prevention methods
Percent of ever-married women who know that HIV can be prevented by using condoms and limiting sex to one uninfected partner
To assess HIVAIDS knowledge, the 2015 AfDHS obtained information on several common misconceptions about HIV transmission. Overall, the knowledge of HIV seems rather poor in Afghanistan.
Only 10 of women and 30 of men age 15-49 believe that a healthy looking person can have HIV. Similarly, only 8 of women and 23 of men age 15-49 know that HIV cannot be transmitted by
mosquito bites, while only 9 of women and 23 of men know that a person cannot be infected by
sharing food with a person who has AIDS Tables 13.4.1 and 13.4.2.
Comprehensive knowledge of HIV Knowing that consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse and having
just one uninfected faithful partner can reduce the chances of getting HIV, knowing that a healthy-looking person can have HIV, and rejecting the two
most common local misconceptions about transmission or prevention of HIV. Sample: Women and men age 15-49
Comprehensive knowledge of HIV is a composite measure that indicates that a person knows that condom use and limiting sexual intercourse to one uninfected partner can prevent HIV and that a healthy-looking
person can have HIV, and rejects the two most common local misconceptions about the transmission of HIV. In Afghanistan, these misconceptions include HIV being transmitted through mosquitoes and a
person becoming infected with HIV by sharing food with a person who has AIDS. In Afghanistan, 1 of women and 5 of men have comprehensive knowledge of HIVAIDS prevention and transmission
Tables 13.4.1 and 13.4.2.
218
• HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior
Patterns by background characteristics
The level of comprehensive knowledge is higher among men than women in both the urban 8
versus 2 and rural areas 4 versus 1.
Among both women and men, comprehensive knowledge of
HIVAIDS rises with education
and wealth quintile Figure 13.4, Table 13.4.1, and Table
13.4.2. The difference by
education among men is particularly striking; only 2 of
men with no education have comprehensive knowledge
about HIVAIDS, compared with 19 of men with more
than a secondary education.
13.2 K
NOWLEDGE ABOUT
M
OTHER
-
TO
-C
HILD
T
RANSMISSION
Increasing the level of general knowledge about transmission of HIV from mother to child and reducing the risk of transmission with antiretroviral drugs are critical in reducing mother-to-child transmission
MTCT of HIV. To assess MTCT knowledge, respondents were asked whether HIV can be transmitted from mother to child through breastfeeding and whether a mother with HIV can reduce the risk of
transmission to her baby by taking certain drugs during pregnancy. More men than women in Afghanistan 38 versus
15 know that HIV can be transmitted through breastfeeding and that the risk of MTCT can be
reduced by taking special medicine 20 versus
8.0 Table 13.5, Figure 13.5. Patterns by background characteristics
Knowledge of MTCT is relatively low across the
country. Urban women 12 and men 24 are more likely to be aware of MTCT than rural
women 5 and rural men 14.
Knowledge of MTCT increases with education for both women and men. Only 5 of women
and 9 of men with no education know about MTCT as compared with 30 of women and
35 of men with more than secondary education.
13.3 HIVAIDS A
TTITUDES
13.3.1 Attitudes toward People Living with HIVAIDS
Widespread stigma and discrimination in a population can adversely affect people’s willingness to be tested and their adherence to antiretroviral therapy ART. Thus, reduction of stigma and discrimination in
Figure 13.4 HIV knowledge by education
Figure 13.5 Knowledge of Mother-to- Child Transmission of HIV
1 2
3 10
2 3
8 19
No education Primary
Secondary More than
secondary
Percentage of ever-married women and ever-married men age 15-49
Women Men
26 48
15 28
12 35
6 18
15 38
8 20
Women Men
Women Men
Urban Rural
Total Know that HIV can be
transmitted by breastfeeding
Know that risk of MTCT can be reduced by mother taking
special drugs during pregnancy
Percentage of ever-married women and ever-married men age 15-49
HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior •
219
a population is an important indicator of the success of programs that target HIVAIDS prevention and control.
Accepting attitudes about HIV Women and men answered four questions that assess the level of stigma
associated with HIVAIDS. Respondents indicate 1 they are willing to care for a family member with AIDS in their home; 2 they would buy fresh vegetables
from a shopkeeper who has HIV; 3 that a female teacher who has HIV but is not sick should be allowed to continue teaching, and; 4 they would not want
to keep secret that a family member was infected with HIV are considered to have accepting attitudes.
Sample: Women and men age 15-49
About one-third of women and men reported accepting attitudes towards HIV-infected relatives, teachers,
and shopkeepers Tables 13.6.1 and 13.6.2. Thirty-four percent of women and 38 of men would be
willing to care for a relative with AIDS in their home, and about 31 of women and 27 of men would buy fresh vegetables from a shopkeeper with HIV. Twenty-seven percent of women and 28 of men agree
that a female teacher with HIV should be allowed to continue teaching, although more women and men indicated that they would not want to keep secret that a family member was infected with HIV 71 and
68, respectively. Overall, only 6 of women and men age 15-49 expressed all the specified accepting
attitudes toward people living with HIV Tables 13.6.1 and 13.6.2. Patterns by background characteristics
Rural women are slightly more likely to have accepting attitudes about people living with HIV than
urban women. For instance, 7 of rural women expressed acceptance of all specified attitudes as
opposed to only 4 among urban women Table 13.6.1.
There were marked differences by province in the proportions of women and men expressing
accepting attitudes, with women in Parwan 44 and men in Herat 18 being the most likely to
express accepting attitudes on all four indicators Tables 13.6.1 and 13.6.2.
Women and men with more than secondary education are more likely to express accepting attitudes
towards people living with HIV and AIDS.
13.3.2 Attitudes toward Negotiating Safer Sexual Relations with Husbands
Knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention is of little use if people feel powerless to negotiate safer sex practices with their partners. To assess attitudes about negotiating safer sexual relations with
husbands, women and men were asked whether they thought that a wife was justified in refusing to have sexual intercourse with her husband if she knows that he has sex with other women or asking that he use a
condom if she knows he has an sexually transmitted infection STI. Table 13.7 shows that 54 of women
and 69 of men believe that a woman is justified in refusing to have sexual intercourse with her husband if she knows that he has sex with other women. Educated women and men, those living in the urban areas,
and those in the highest wealth quintile agreed to this.
13.3.3 Attitudes toward Condom Education for Young People
Adults age 18-49 were asked about their support for condom education for children age 12-14. That is, do they agree that children age 12-14 should be taught about using a condom to avoid AIDS. Only 6 of
women and 18 of men agreed Table 13.8.
220
• HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior
13.4 C
OVERAGE OF
HIV T
ESTING
S
ERVICES
Knowledge of HIV status helps HIV-negative individuals make specific decisions to reduce risk and increase safer sex practices to remain disease free. Among those who are living with HIV, knowledge of
their status allows them to take action to protect their sexual partners, access care, and receive treatment. To assess awareness and coverage of HIV testing services, AfDHS respondents were asked if they had
ever been tested for HIV. If they had, they were asked whether they had received the results of their last test and where they had been tested. If they had never been tested, they were asked if they knew a place
where they could be tested. A small proportion of respondents 9 of women and 30 of men knew of a place where they could
obtain an HIV test Tables 13.9.1 and 13.9.2. One percent of women and 4 of men had been tested for HIV and received the result, while 99 of women and 95 of men were never tested for HIV Tables
13.9.1
and Tables 13.9.2
13.5 M
ALE
C
IRCUMCISION
Afghanistan is an Islamic country in which the prevalence of male circumcision is universal. Most circumcisions are performed by traditional practitioners 43, followed by health workers 20. The
percentage of circumcisions performed by traditional practitioners is higher in rural areas 48, while it is
more commonly performed by a health worker in the urban areas 39 Table 13.10.
About 14 of the circumcisions are performed at health facilities, with 13 at the home of the health worker and 57 in the other houses. Utilization of health facilities for circumcision is higher in urban
areas 24 than rural areas 11, while most circumcisions take place at home in the rural areas 59 Table 13.11
More than half of the men 53 were circumcised during childhood 5 years. One in three men 34
was circumcised between age 5-13 and less than 1 was circumcised between age 14-19 Table 13.12.
13.6 S
ELF
-
REPORTING OF
S
EXUALLY
T
RANSMITTED
I
NFECTIONS Sexually transmitted infections STIs and symptoms
Respondents who have ever had sex were asked whether they had an STI or symptoms of an STI a bad-smelling, abnormal discharge from the
vaginapenis or a genital sore or ulcer in the 12 months before the survey. Sample: Women and men age 15-49
Women were more likely than men to report having had an STI or having experienced STI symptoms
Table 13.13. In the 12 months before the survey, 2 of women reported that they had an STI; 13 had a
bad-smellingabnormal genital discharge, and 8 had a genital sore or ulcer. Among men, 2 reported that they had an STI, 6 had a bad-smellingabnormal discharge, and 4 had a genital sore or ulcer.
Overall, 15 of women and 8 of men had either an STI or symptoms of an STI during the 12 months before the survey.
HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior •
221
More than two in five women and one in four men who had an STI or
STI symptoms sought advice or treatment from a clinic, hospital,
private doctor, or other health professionals. Fifty-three percent of
women and 45 of men did not seek any treatment when they had
an STI or STI symptoms Figure 13.6.
13.7 I
NJECTIONS
The overuse of injections in a health care setting can contribute to the
transmission of blood-borne pathogens because it amplifies the
effect of unsafe practices such as the reuse of injection equipment.
The 2015 AfDHS respondents were asked if they had received any
injections from a health worker in the 12 months before the survey and, if so, if their last injection was administered with a syringe from a
new, unopened package. Self-administered medical injections insulin injections for diabetes were not included in the calculations.
Thirty-five percent of women and 31 of men reported receiving an injection from a health worker during
the 12 months before the survey Table 3.14. More than 90 of women and men indicated that the
syringe for their most recent injection came from a newly opened package.
13.8 HIVAIDS-R
ELATED
K
NOWLEDGE AND
B
EHAVIOR AMONG
Y
OUNG
P
EOPLE
This section addresses HIVAIDS-related knowledge among young people age 15-24 and assesses the extent to which young people are engaged in behaviors that put them at risk of contracting HIV. However,
because the 2015 AfDHS surveyed ever-married women and men, there is no information for the never married youths age 15-24.
13.8.1 Knowledge
Knowledge of how HIV is transmitted is crucial to enabling people to avoid HIV infection. Just 1 of young ever-married women and 6 of young ever-married men have comprehensive knowledge of
HIVAIDS defined as knowing that both condom use and limiting sexual intercourse to one uninfected partner are HIV prevention methods, knowing that a healthy-looking person can have HIV, and rejecting
the two most common local misconceptions about HIV transmission Table 13.15. Among both women
and men, the proportion with comprehensive knowledge of HIV increases with age and educational attainment. Urban young people are more likely than rural young people to have comprehensive
knowledge of HIVAIDS; greater knowledge is also more prominent for young men. Knowledge of a source for condoms is relatively common among young ever-married women and men
with 26 of young women and 58 of young men knowing a place where they can obtain a condom
Table 13.15.
Figure 13.6 Women and men seeking treatment for STIs
43
3 2
53
25
4 2
45
Sought advice or treatment from a
clinichospital private doctorother
health professional Sought advice or
medicine from a shoppharmacy
Sought advice or treatment from any
other source No advice or
treatment
Percentage of ever-married women and ever-married men age 15-49 with an STI or STI-Symptoms
Women Men
222
• HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior
13.8.2 First Sex
Young people who initiate sex at an early age are typically at higher risk of becoming pregnant or contracting an STI than young people who initiate sex at a later age. Consistent condom use can reduce
such risks. In Afghanistan, 10 of ever-married women and 2
of ever-married men age 15-24 reported having sex
before age 15 Table 13.16. In contrast, among
those age 18-24, 52 of young ever-married women and 22 of young ever-married men report having
had sex by age 18 Figure 13.7. Patterns by background characteristics
Rural and urban young married women are much
more likely than their male counterparts to have had sex before age 15 or age 18.
The percentage of young women and men to
who have sex before age 15 is higher among those with no education than among those with some education.
13.8.3 Coverage of HIV Testing Services
Seeking an HIV test may be difficult for young people because many young people lack experience in accessing health services by themselves and because there are often barriers to young people obtaining
services. One percent of young ever-married women and young ever-married men has been tested for HIV and
received the results of the test Table 13.17. Testing is more common in urban areas and among educated
youths.
L
IST OF
T
ABLES
For more information on HIVAIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, see the following tables:
Table 13.1 Knowledge of AIDS
Table 13.2.1 Source of knowledge on HIVAIDS: Women
Table 13.2.2 Source of knowledge on HIVAIDS: Men
Table 13.3 Knowledge of HIV prevention methods
Table 13.4.1 Comprehensive knowledge about HIVAIDS: Women
Table 13.4.2 Comprehensive knowledge about HIVAIDS: Men
Table 13.5 Knowledge of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV
Table 13.6.1 Accepting attitudes toward those living with HIVAIDS: Women
Table 13.6.2 Accepting attitudes toward those living with HIVAIDS: Men
Table 13.7 Attitudes toward negotiating safer sexual relations with husband
Table 13.8 Adult support of education about condom use to prevent AIDS
Table 13.9.1 Coverage of prior HIV testing: Women
Table 13.9.2 Coverage of prior HIV testing: Men
Table 13.10 Male circumcision
Figure 13.7 Early Sexual Initiation
10 52
2 22
Sex by age 15 Sex by age 18
Women Men
Percentage of ever-married women and ever-married men age 15-24 who had sex by age 15 and percentage of ever-
married women and ever-married men age 18-24 who had
HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior •
223
Table 13.11 Place of circumcision
Table 13.12 Age at circumcision
Table 13.13 Self-reported prevalence of sexually-transmitted infections STIs and STI symptoms
Table 13.14 Prevalence of medical injections
Table 13.15 Comprehensive knowledge about AIDS and of a source of condoms among young people
Table 13.16 Age at first sexual intercourse among young people
Table 13.17 Recent HIV tests among youth
224
• HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior
Table 13.1 Knowledge of AIDS Percentage of ever-married women and ever-married men age 15-49 who have
heard of AIDS, by background characteristics, Afghanistan 2015 Women
Men Background
characteristic Has heard of
AIDS Number of
respondents Has heard of
AIDS Number of
respondents
Age
15-24 22.3
7,915 57.3
1,305 15-19
19.0 1,825
50.8 142
20-24 23.2
6,089 58.1
1,162 25-29
24.5 6,299
57.7 2,422
30-39 25.2
8,765 59.8
3,943 40-49
22.4 6,482
57.8 3,091
Marital status
Married 23.8
28,671 58.5
10,679 DivorcedSeparated
Widowed 19.2
790 45.9
81
Residence
Urban 39.2
6,870 72.6
2,479 Rural
18.9 22,591
54.2 8,281
Province
1
Kabul 39.5
3,658 68.1
1,350 Kapisa
22.2 205
76.5 63
Parwan 20.0
625 71.0
220 Wardak
32.8 382
39.8 171
Logar 66.1
472 64.9
204 Nangarhar
23.4 794
63.8 273
Laghman 46.6
583 76.0
227 Panjsher
8.8 54
59.7 18
Baghlan 15.9
839 47.6
281 Bamyan
4.5 303
33.8 94
Ghazni 21.9
1,328 43.9
619 Paktika
1.5 792
23.6 322
Paktya 20.0
542 93.5
206 Khost
18.4 851
91.5 334
Kunarha 9.0
559 68.4
151 Nooristan
0.6 222
19.0 66
Badakhshan 7.3
1,004 35.1
316 Takhar
15.8 1,105
53.6 296
Kunduz 35.0
1,232 60.3
479 Samangan
2.8 330
33.1 125
Balkh 22.3
1,781 48.7
616 Sar-E-Pul
7.7 654
45.9 195
Ghor 21.4
715 47.1
322 Daykundi
0.8 329
32.5 77
Urozgan 3.4
230 11.5
92 Kandahar
18.2 2,227
57.6 874
Jawzjan 22.0
614 65.1
218 Faryab
16.2 2,114
70.8 706
Helmand 6.1
875 79.3
355 Badghis
3.6 650
31.4 231
Herat 55.5
2,316 77.7
863 Farah
14.7 777
38.9 295
Nimroz 9.5
278 15.7
93
Education
No education 18.6
24,604 43.9
5,447 Primary
33.8 2,330
63.0 1,987
Secondary 57.8
1,971 76.5
2,632 More than secondary
83.7 556
90.7 695
Wealth quintile
Lowest 12.3
5,904 43.3
2,029 Second
16.8 6,001
50.2 2,233
Middle 17.9
5,888 54.0
2,160 Fourth
27.9 6,010
67.3 2,260
Highest 44.2
5,657 77.0
2,078 Total
23.7 29,461
58.4 10,760
1
Estimates for Zabul are not presented separately due to sample coverage issues; however, they are included in the total national estimates.
HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior •
225
Table 13.2.1 Source of knowledge on HIVAIDS: Women Percentage of ever-married women 15-49 by source of knowledge on HIVAIDS, according to background characteristics,
Afghanistan 2015 Background
characteristic Radio Television
News- paper
magazine Poster
billboards Internet Health
profes- sionals
Friends relatives
Other Number
of women
Age
20 8.5
10.4 1.9
0.6 0.7
2.4 7.5
3.0 1,825
20-34 8.2
15.5 1.5
0.7 0.7
3.1 10.0
3.6 16,690
35-49 8.4
15.1 1.3
0.6 0.6
3.0 9.0
3.2 10,945
Residence
Urban 11.0
31.4 3.4
1.4 2.2
5.0 14.3
5.6 6,870
Rural 7.5
10.0 0.9
0.4 0.2
2.4 8.0
2.8 22,591
Province
1
Kabul 12.1
31.4 3.2
1.4 2.4
4.0 12.3
4.1 3,658
Kapisa 8.4
15.5 1.0
0.3 0.0
1.7 6.1
3.3 205
Parwan 14.7
12.0 1.9
0.0 0.4
0.9 2.6
5.0 625
Wardak 5.7
6.2 0.1
2.2 0.0
0.7 26.3
5.7 382
Logar 50.6
23.7 1.9
0.0 0.2
0.2 17.5
6.2 472
Nangarhar 9.9
12.2 1.2
0.4 0.1
3.7 16.4
4.9 794
Laghman 34.9
17.0 1.1
0.4 0.6
8.4 20.5
6.2 583
Panjsher 2.8
5.7 0.9
0.5 0.2
0.1 5.8
2.5 54
Baghlan 2.7
14.9 0.9
0.1 1.1
0.1 5.5
1.4 839
Bamyan 0.7
1.6 0.9
0.0 0.0
0.6 2.1
0.9 303
Ghazni 5.8
5.1 0.8
0.3 0.1
0.1 18.4
3.5 1,328
Paktika 1.4
0.1 0.0
0.0 0.0
0.1 0.1
0.1 792
Paktya 16.2
3.6 0.4
0.0 0.0
0.6 5.8
1.4 542
Khost 13.5
7.7 0.2
0.1 0.0
0.8 10.4
2.2 851
Kunarha 4.1
2.7 0.3
0.0 2.0
1.5 2.6
0.9 559
Nooristan 0.2
0.1 0.0
0.0 0.0
0.1 0.5
0.4 222
Badakhshan 1.8
3.8 0.8
0.7 0.2
2.1 3.9
3.5 1,004
Takhar 7.2
10.1 0.3
0.0 0.0
1.1 4.9
2.1 1,105
Kunduz 19.2
27.1 5.2
2.2 1.6
2.3 13.8
2.9 1,232
Samangan 1.0
2.7 0.5
0.3 0.1
1.6 0.8
1.1 330
Balkh 1.0
18.3 1.0
0.0 0.4
2.5 9.8
4.9 1,781
Sar-E-Pul 1.2
6.2 0.5
0.2 1.2
2.1 3.7
3.5 654
Ghor 4.0
11.6 2.3
2.6 0.1
7.8 9.3
12.7 715
Daykundi 0.2
0.6 0.0
0.0 0.0
0.1 0.5
0.1 329
Urozgan 2.0
1.5 0.9
0.0 0.5
1.1 2.0
0.5 230
Kandahar 8.6
5.8 0.7
0.1 0.6
5.1 15.0
1.6 2,227
Jawzjan 8.0
15.1 2.3
0.1 0.1
1.0 16.6
7.0 614
Faryab 0.4
11.9 1.6
1.6 0.3
7.3 3.6
5.5 2,114
Helmand 3.9
3.6 0.1
0.2 0.0
1.1 1.1
0.6 875
Badghis 0.1
1.5 0.0
0.1 0.0
0.4 1.9
2.3 650
Herat 12.1
43.8 2.8
1.0 1.2
6.4 12.5
2.2 2,316
Farah 5.9
4.3 0.2
0.1 0.1
1.3 8.5
3.5 777
Nimroz 0.0
6.6 0.1
0.0 0.0
0.4 3.1
2.6 278
Education
No education 7.0
10.2 0.4
0.2 0.2
1.9 8.5
1.9 24,604
Primary 11.7
26.1 1.5
1.0 0.3
3.8 10.9
4.1 2,330
Secondary 14.9
45.4 7.4
2.2 3.6
11.2 16.7
15.3 1,971
More than secondary
26.9 71.7
28.3 14.0
14.0 20.2
20.2 27.8
556
Wealth quintile
Lowest 3.3
6.9 0.5
0.3 0.0
1.6 5.9
2.2 5,904
Second 6.6
7.9 0.5
0.4 0.2
1.9 7.5
1.9 6,001
Middle 7.1
8.6 0.7
0.1 0.2
1.5 7.9
2.4 5,888
Fourth 11.4
16.0 1.4
0.4 0.7
4.0 11.2
4.0 6,010
Highest 13.2
36.5 4.4
2.2 2.6
6.3 15.0
6.7 5,657
Total 8.3
15.0 1.5
0.6 0.7
3.0 9.5
3.4 29,461
1
Estimates for Zabul are not presented separately due to sample coverage issues; however, they are included in the total national estimates.
226
• HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior
Table 13.2.2 Source of knowledge on HIVAIDS: Men Percentage of ever-married men 15-49 by source of knowledge on HIVAIDS, according to background characteristics,
Afghanistan 2015 Background
characteristic Radio Television
News- paper
magazine Poster
billboards Internet Health
profes- sionals
Friends relatives
Other Number
of men
Age
20 13.9
12.5 3.0
4.0 2.7
13.1 21.8
28.8 142
20-34 20.6
23.0 6.9
2.9 4.4
11.7 28.8
24.3 5,592
35-49 21.7
27.0 6.6
2.7 2.9
10.1 28.3
24.4 5,026
Residence
Urban 30.2
44.6 15.0
5.4 9.9
13.2 26.9
24.8 2,479
Rural 18.3
18.8 4.2
2.1 1.8
10.3 29.0
24.3 8,281
Province
1
Kabul 29.9
46.2 19.2
6.2 11.2
11.7 21.1
22.1 1,350
Kapisa 53.9
47.7 13.2
6.2 3.2
17.0 56.6
55.9 63
Parwan 29.8
21.2 6.5
2.7 1.4
7.3 48.5
41.4 220
Wardak 25.2
10.9 8.4
0.8 2.7
6.1 19.5
20.5 171
Logar 35.6
6.6 8.7
0.5 1.3
1.7 11.5
9.9 204
Nangarhar 38.8
30.0 8.9
1.3 4.2
22.2 29.7
25.1 273
Laghman 36.9
18.4 7.7
5.1 3.1
14.0 36.5
17.1 227
Panjsher 34.3
35.6 14.7
2.2 3.3
9.1 41.9
38.2 18
Baghlan 3.8
9.1 1.8
0.1 0.9
6.2 6.6
17.2 281
Bamyan 8.4
8.7 4.3
2.3 1.4
4.6 5.1
7.1 94
Ghazni 38.0
27.9 3.4
2.4 2.7
5.4 24.0
16.9 619
Paktika 18.7
10.3 3.3
1.5 4.4
2.3 6.9
7.5 322
Paktya 48.5
10.6 5.0
0.6 1.3
28.4 59.7
54.1 206
Khost 15.2
10.0 3.0
2.8 3.1
38.6 43.2
42.1 334
Kunarha 11.4
4.7 2.6
0.0 1.5
7.0 4.7
4.6 151
Nooristan 5.0
0.5 4.6
0.2 1.0
1.0 9.9
10.6 66
Badakhshan 15.0
15.9 7.8
2.9 3.1
10.3 16.5
19.5 316
Takhar 8.7
17.9 3.5
0.0 1.8
7.4 28.2
13.2 296
Kunduz 27.9
38.5 3.4
0.1 0.7
7.9 34.0
23.8 479
Samangan 18.9
9.9 2.4
0.1 0.2
1.1 6.5
1.6 125
Balkh 14.0
23.9 7.1
3.5 3.3
8.1 26.0
12.5 616
Sar-E-Pul 11.8
19.5 4.0
0.5 0.8
4.1 34.5
24.6 195
Ghor 6.5
14.3 9.3
1.4 1.5
25.0 17.5
19.9 322
Daykundi 6.2
10.3 2.6
0.1 0.0
0.1 1.6
3.2 77
Urozgan 2.0
1.2 0.0
0.0 0.6
0.7 1.7
1.0 92
Kandahar 12.4
5.7 2.5
1.2 2.4
14.0 38.1
28.3 874
Jawzjan 40.2
32.7 4.7
1.1 6.2
7.8 36.7
34.2 218
Faryab 3.9
42.2 3.7
4.6 0.1
17.8 36.5
40.7 706
Helmand 41.7
16.9 9.6
19.7 6.7
24.5 43.7
40.2 355
Badghis 9.2
15.4 1.0
1.2 0.1
5.6 9.4
20.0 231
Herat 19.8
46.9 6.9
0.8 5.7
2.3 50.1
36.5 863
Farah 9.8
8.9 0.4
0.1 0.6
2.4 18.4
19.2 295
Nimroz 1.4
6.2 1.9
0.0 0.2
0.4 3.6
0.8 93
Education
No education 12.5
15.0 0.4
0.5 0.2
5.7 25.1
17.4 5,447
Primary 21.1
24.5 2.9
1.2 1.2
11.1 32.1
26.8 1,987
Secondary 33.1
36.0 14.8
6.6 6.7
18.4 32.9
32.9 2,632
More than secondary
41.9 58.7
36.4 11.6
25.8 23.6
27.6 39.7
695
Wealth quintile
Lowest 11.9
14.3 4.3
0.7 1.1
7.2 22.3
18.3 2,029
Second 19.3
16.6 3.5
2.9 1.8
9.3 28.1
22.9 2,233
Middle 18.2
15.9 2.8
1.0 1.0
10.6 29.7
23.6 2,160
Fourth 23.2
28.1 6.0
3.0 2.7
13.9 33.9
28.2 2,260
Highest 32.5
49.1 17.3
6.7 11.9
13.6 27.7
28.7 2,078
Total 21.1
24.7 6.7
2.9 3.6
11.0 28.5
24.4 10,760
1
Estimates for Zabul are not presented separately due to sample coverage issues; however, they are included in the total national estimates.
HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior •
227
Table 13.3 Knowledge of HIV prevention methods Percentage of ever-married women and ever-married men age 15-49 who, in response to prompted questions, say that people can reduce the risk of
getting HIV by using condoms every time they have sexual intercourse, and by having one sex partner who is not infected and has no other partners, by background characteristics, Afghanistan 2015
Percentage of ever-married women who say HIV can be prevented by:
Percentage of ever-married men who say HIV can be prevented by:
Background characteristic
Using condoms
1
Limiting sexual
intercourse to one
uninfected partner
2
Using condoms and
limiting sexual
intercourse to one
uninfected partner
1,2
Number of women
Using condoms
1
Limiting sexual
intercourse to one
uninfected partner
2
Using condoms and
limiting sexual
intercourse to one
uninfected partner
1,2
Number of men
Age
15-24 11.5
12.9 8.6
7,915 40.4
47.4 36.6
1,305 15-19
10.1 12.6
7.8 1,825
27.8 37.9
24.9 142
20-24 11.9
12.9 8.9
6,089 41.9
48.6 38.0
1,162 25-29
13.0 13.4
9.3 6,299
38.2 47.8
34.1 2,422
30-39 13.7
14.5 10.1
8,765 38.3
47.7 32.5
3,943 40-49
10.9 13.0
8.3 6,482
36.8 45.1
32.1 3,091
Marital status
Married 12.5
13.6 9.2
28,671 38.2
47.0 33.3
10,679 DivorcedSeparatedWidowed
8.5 8.9
6.7 790
26.5 35.0
26.4 81
Residence
Urban 21.8
22.3 15.3
6,870 47.5
57.0 41.1
2,479 Rural
9.5 10.8
7.3 22,591
35.3 43.9
30.9 8,281
Province
Kabul 23.6
22.7 16.4
3,658 41.8
52.7 36.3
1,350 Kapisa
7.5 7.3
4.5 205
69.2 72.6
67.4 63
Parwan 15.4
14.4 12.7
625 53.3
51.6 47.0
220 Wardak
14.7 15.2
10.0 382
25.2 36.2
24.5 171
Logar 40.5
53.6 38.0
472 32.8
50.5 27.5
204 Nangarhar
12.8 13.5
10.1 794
34.5 59.5
33.6 273
Laghman 32.4
40.6 29.0
583 53.6
63.4 47.8
227 Panjsher
1.4 2.0
1.1 54
18.0 19.2
14.3 18
Baghlan 4.9
8.8 4.6
839 11.9
5.8 2.3
281 Bamyan
2.9 2.9
2.5 303
17.6 23.9
15.9 94
Ghazni 8.1
9.6 4.4
1,328 22.2
31.9 15.9
619 Paktika
1.4 1.5
1.4 792
18.4 18.8
15.7 322
Paktya 8.1
13.8 6.7
542 88.2
81.7 78.5
206 Khost
8.7 8.6
6.0 851
69.1 79.4
65.4 334
Kunarha 3.1
3.1 2.3
559 44.7
51.6 39.3
151 Nooristan
0.1 0.2
0.1 222
7.9 7.3
4.0 66
Badakhshan 3.0
4.1 2.6
1,004 13.1
25.9 10.1
316 Takhar
2.6 7.1
1.7 1,105
36.9 41.8
33.5 296
Kunduz 19.0
22.9 15.8
1,232 45.1
52.4 38.9
479 Samangan
1.9 2.3
1.4 330
24.8 26.2
19.8 125
Balkh 15.5
14.4 11.5
1,781 40.6
34.9 31.1
616 Sar-E-Pul
6.1 4.6
4.0 654
20.3 37.5
17.1 195
Ghor 12.5
20.4 12.1
715 37.8
38.1 32.0
322 Daykundi
0.2 0.6
0.1 329
14.5 18.6
12.3 77
Urozgan 1.5
1.1 1.1
230 5.6
6.6 5.2
92 Kandahar
5.2 6.5
2.4 2,227
26.4 46.4
22.8 874
Jawzjan 16.4
15.2 13.0
614 40.0
61.6 38.1
218 Faryab
10.9 10.9
7.3 2,114
40.9 60.3
31.5 706
Helmand 4.9
4.7 3.9
875 37.8
50.2 33.1
355 Badghis
2.4 2.9
2.0 650
29.1 30.5
28.4 231
Herat 22.4
21.8 14.9
2,316 66.7
73.6 64.0
863 Farah
9.3 13.1
8.6 777
31.0 37.2
30.3 295
Nimroz 4.8
4.3 3.7
278 11.7
12.2 9.6
93
Education
No education 8.6
9.9 6.2
24,604 26.3
34.9 23.1
5,447 Primary
19.2 20.2
14.3 2,330
38.0 47.4
31.5 1,987
Secondary 39.0
39.3 31.2
1,971 53.5
63.5 47.3
2,632 More than secondary
54.8 54.4
39.7 556
72.5 77.3
64.6 695
Wealth quintile
Lowest 5.2
6.8 4.2
5,904 28.3
32.8 23.8
2,029 Second
7.8 8.9
5.9 6,001
34.1 41.1
30.4 2,233
Middle 8.5
10.1 6.1
5,888 32.9
43.4 28.9
2,160 Fourth
15.2 16.2
11.3 6,010
43.7 53.9
37.3 2,260
Highest 25.6
26.0 18.5
5,657 51.4
63.2 45.6
2,078 Total
12.4 13.5
9.1 29,461
38.1 47.0
33.2 10,760
1
Using condoms every time they have sexual intercourse.
2
Partner who has no other partners.
3
Estimates for Zabul are not presented separately due to sample coverage issues; however, they are included in the total national estimates.
228
• HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior
Table 13.4.1 Comprehensive knowledge about HIVAIDS: Women Percentage of ever-married women age 15-49 who say that a healthy-looking person can have HIV and who, in response to prompted questions,
correctly reject local misconceptions about transmission or prevention of HIV, and the percentage with a comprehensive knowledge about AIDS by background characteristics, Afghanistan 2015
Background characteristic
Percentage of respondents who say that: Percentage who
say that a healthy looking person
can have HIV and who reject the two
most common local miscon-
ceptions
1
Percentage with a compre-
hensive knowledge
about AIDS
2
Number of women
A healthy- looking person
can have HIV HIV cannot be
transmitted by mosquito bites
HIV cannot be transmitted by
supernatural means
A person cannot
become infected by
sharing food with a person
who has AIDS
Age
15-24 9.8
7.5 13.5
8.9 2.0
1.0 7,915
15-19 9.3
5.3 9.2
9.0 1.2
0.6 1,825
20-24 10.0
8.1 14.7
8.9 2.2
1.2 6,089
25-29 10.5
9.6 15.0
9.7 2.3
1.2 6,299
30-39 9.4
8.5 15.7
9.2 2.0
1.1 8,765
40-49 9.7
7.3 13.1
7.9 2.1
1.3 6,482
Marital status
Married 9.9
8.3 14.4
9.0 2.1
1.1 28,671
DivorcedSeparatedWidowed 7.3
4.3 13.1
6.3 1.7
1.7 790
Residence
Urban 15.9
15.1 24.8
16.4 3.4
1.7 6,870
Rural 8.0
6.1 11.2
6.7 1.7
1.0 22,591
Province
3
Kabul 14.7
15.8 24.7
16.4 2.9
1.4 3,658
Kapisa 7.1
10.3 11.7
10.7 2.6
0.6 205
Parwan 7.2
13.7 17.1
12.6 3.2
2.7 625
Wardak 6.7
17.8 17.9
18.1 4.8
3.9 382
Logar 30.7
39.8 56.5
47.0 28.5
23.2 472
Nangarhar 11.2
13.0 18.0
12.1 5.0
2.4 794
Laghman 26.2
9.7 33.2
17.0 1.5
0.8 583
Panjsher 1.1
6.0 6.6
6.9 0.5
0.3 54
Baghlan 4.4
3.9 5.0
3.5 0.8
0.5 839
Bamyan 2.0
0.4 2.6
1.2 0.2
0.0 303
Ghazni 13.3
3.7 6.4
4.8 0.7
0.6 1,328
Paktika 0.8
1.0 1.2
0.5 0.0
0.0 792
Paktya 6.0
6.4 11.7
7.1 0.7
0.5 542
Khost 4.1
7.8 7.4
6.8 1.3
0.1 851
Kunarha 1.5
0.9 1.9
1.2 0.2
0.2 559
Nooristan 0.2
0.3 0.3
0.1 0.0
0.0 222
Badakhshan 2.5
4.1 5.6
0.8 0.2
0.1 1,004
Takhar 0.8
5.1 6.1
5.0 0.2
0.0 1,105
Kunduz 17.8
7.6 13.0
9.2 2.4
1.7 1,232
Samangan 0.4
2.3 2.0
1.6 0.0
0.0 330
Balkh 8.1
9.0 16.5
9.7 2.3
1.4 1,781
Sar-E-Pul 2.6
1.4 2.6
1.4 0.0
0.0 654
Ghor 4.8
1.7 9.3
6.6 0.0
0.0 715
Daykundi 0.2
0.6 0.4
0.1 0.0
0.0 329
Urozgan 1.6
0.1 2.0
0.0 0.0
0.0 230
Kandahar 9.7
7.7 12.2
6.6 2.1
0.5 2,227
Jawzjan 7.5
5.1 5.5
3.0 0.1
0.1 614
Faryab 10.7
8.6 11.3
2.9 0.8
0.0 2,114
Helmand 0.9
3.2 4.2
3.7 0.3
0.3 875
Badghis 2.3
1.7 2.2
1.7 1.2
0.9 650
Herat 23.6
12.2 39.3
22.3 4.0
1.4 2,316
Farah 7.6
2.9 7.2
4.9 0.6
0.2 777
Nimroz 3.0
1.2 3.5
2.1 0.5
0.1 278
Education
No education 7.4
5.7 10.7
6.3 1.4
0.7 24,604
Primary 13.2
12.5 22.1
15.1 3.9
2.4 2,330
Secondary 26.2
24.1 38.1
23.8 5.5
3.2 1,971
More than secondary 42.3
42.7 60.5
45.8 13.6
9.9 556
Wealth quintile
Lowest 4.8
2.7 6.3
3.9 0.9
0.4 5,904
Second 6.9
4.3 9.8
5.7 1.3
0.9 6,001
Middle 7.7
5.7 10.7
6.6 1.7
1.1 5,888
Fourth 11.4
11.3 17.5
10.2 2.5
1.2 6,010
Highest 18.8
17.4 28.4
18.7 4.1
2.2 5,657
Total 9.8
8.2 14.4
8.9 2.1
1.2 29,461
1
Two most common local misconceptions: HIV can be transmitted by mosquito bites and by sharing food with a person who has AIDS.
2
Comprehensive knowledge means knowing that consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse and having just one uninfected faithful partner can reduce the chance of getting the AIDS virus, knowing that a healthy-looking person can have the AIDS virus, and rejecting the two most
common local misconceptions about transmission or prevention of the AIDS virus.
3
Estimates for Zabul are not presented separately due to sample coverage issues; however, they are included in the total national estimates.
HIVAIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior •
